6. GLORY FOR GOD
God receives praise, honor and glory for bringing revival.
7. REFORMATION AND RENEWAL
Revival produces lasting fruit. New ministries are founded and society experiences a reform of morals as more and more people convert.44,45,46
8. MANIFESTATIONS
Manifestations like fainting, groaning prayer and miracles vary by culture and denomination.47
9. MESSY
Revivals are messy—controversies swirl about miracles, abuses, excesses, suspicions and theological disputes (to name but a few).48
10. CYCLICAL
Revivals inevitably crest and decline.49,50
Is America Ripe for Spiritual Revival Today?
A majority of Americans believe our country is going downhill. Yet church attendance as a percent of population has held steady since 1990, and probably since 1940.51 America added 50,000 new churches in the last 20 years of the 20th century to total 350,000.52 The number of born-again Christians has grown steadily to 46 percent of adults today.53 Given the state of moral and spiritual decay, how is that possible?
The answer is simple. Today, Christianity is prevalent but not powerful. The solution is spiritual revival and awakening.
We’ve not had an awakening in America of historic proportion for a long time. With such a great tradition of revival and awakening, a great base from which to start, and a great need to counteract the increasing moral and spiritual decline, our nation appears ripe for a fresh outpouring of God’s Spirit.
But history tells us that national revivals and awakenings cannot be manufactured. They are sovereign acts of mercy and grace by God Himself, when He supernaturally achieves in a short span what seems otherwise impossible. However, God loves to respond to the prayers of His people (e.g., 2 Chronicles 7:14).
While the decision belongs to God alone, He gives us the privilege of hastening the day through humble repentant prayer. Let us pray…
Until every church disciples every man…
This article originally appeared here.
